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Grants for Military Personnel and Veterans

By Jillian Wheeler | May 26, 2008

Today is Memorial Day, when we officially honor those who have fallen in military service to our country. We are currently engaged in a war that has now lasted longer than U.S. involvement in World War II. As of May 17, 2008, 3629 service members have died in Iraq and Afganistan, and 32,076 have been wounded.

The actual numbers are undoubtedly higher, as they do not take into consideration minimal brain damage injuries from IEDs, and post-traumatic stress syndrome, which is made more likely during long or repeated deployments. And of course, these numbers must be multiplied many times over to take into account the wives and husbands, children, parents and siblings of those who have fallen, and those who continue to serve far from home.

Whatever your political point of view regarding this war, I believe it is important to remember our military and their families, and to support them in every way possible. I hope you will encourage your legislators to continue to vote for increased benefits. As a country, we are not doing nearly enough to help our returning veterans.

That said, there are many grants out there to assist military families and veterans. It takes some research to find them, but as is true of any type of grant programs, it is definitely worth the effort. Here are just a few examples:

Towson University in Maryland is offering Thank You Grants to qualified U.S. military personnel and recent veterans, beginning with the fall 2008 term. The grants are $500 per semester for full-time students, for up to 8 semesters. Eligible students must enroll in a degree program at Towson.

The U.S. government and each branch of military service offer a variety of scholarships, and many of the states also have scholarship programs for veterans and military spouses and children.

Speaking of education, this may be of interest to vets who are returning to college. Student Veterans of America (SVA) will host its first annual conference on June 11 – 13, 2008 in Washington D.C. This national conference is planned to bring together student veterans from around the country to learn about programs and best practices in local colleges. Learn more at: http://www.gibill.va.gov/documents/SVA_Conference_PR.pdf

A number of non-profit agencies assist military families. Thousands of military personnel from Texas are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, so three foundations have joined forces In a collaborative response. The San Antonio Area Foundation, Dallas Foundation, and Permian Basin Area Foundation just issued a round of nonprofit grants totaling more than $2.8 million to nearly two dozen agencies across the Lone Star State. That brings the total grants made in the past 12 months to over $11 million. The grants have been awarded to agencies throughout the state that provide innovative assistance programs designed to meet the financial, physical and emotional needs of military families.

Texas is only one state. Non-profits throughout the country are stepping up to serve these needs. If you know someone who has a need, one place to begin looking for assistance is your local United Way.

Here’s a program for children in military families. Our Military Kids, Inc. offers grants of up to $500 to enable children K – 12th grade to participate in extracurricular activities. You can learn more about their programs at: http://www.ourmilitarykids.org/

Active military families, returning veterans and reservists often need help buying a home. Parma, Illinois, is one of many towns that is stepping up to the plate. Parma’s ”Homes for Heroes” program will allow military members and civilian safety workers to receive up to $5,000 to buy their first home in Parma. The city has dedicated $50,000 and plans to add to the fund as needed. Eligible recipients serve or served in law enforcement, corrections or firefighting or are on active duty with any branch of the military or National Guard, or they have been honorably discharged from military service.

First American Military, Inc. (FAM) is a California non-profit that focuses on military housing needs. FAM offers a Home Ownership Grant program which provides funding for our nation’s military members who desire to become home owners. The grant program gives active duty and veterans up to 5% of a home’s purchase price in down payment assistance.

Here are a couple of reminders and updates from our real estate grant home study program, The New American Land Rush: How to Buy Real Estate with Government Money.

Under The Civil Relief Act of 2003, military families are protected from foreclosure. This law prohibits a lender from foreclosing on a mortgage if the borrower or borrower’s spouse is on active military duty. The borrower may also qualify for an interest rate reduction or even a temporary suspension of mortgage payments.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that a new change will allow wounded veterans to receive multiple grants for constructing or modifying their homes. This new rule also wounded vets to receive special adaptive grants of up to $50,000, from the VA as many as three times.

Eligible veterans can now apply for three different types of grants: The Specially Adapted Housing Grant (SAH), The Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant, and the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant. The SAH grant ($50,000) is available to create a wheelchair-accessible home. The SHA grant ($10,000) offers assistance to veterans with sight or mobility impairments. The TRA grant (up to $14,000) may be used for construction for service members temporarily living or intending to live temporarily in the home of another family member. For more information about these grants or other home loans visit www.homeloans.va.gov.

This week is the final week of our Economic Stimulus Package sale. So if you are interested in taking advantage of the lowest prices of the year on our programs, now’s the time.

Read more about The New American Land Rush: How to Buy Real Estate with Government Money:

www.NewAmericanLandRush.com

And for information about our Grants Training Classes, visit:

www.GrantMeRich.com/classes.htm

If you want the biggest savings, purchase the two together – but only for the rest of this week.

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